The Matchmakers (2023) s01e15 Episode Script

The Wedding Operation

1
(Rowoon)
(Cho Yi Hyun)
(Writer: Ha Soo Jin)
(Directors: Hwang Seung Ki, Kim Soo Jin)
(The Matchmakers)
(Bok Hee, 8 years old, Lady Yeoju's daughter)
Thanks to Lady Matchmaker,
we are living together with Mister. That makes me happy.
(Note: Has a good eye for people)
You ask why I like him?
He is a responsible and kindhearted man.
How do I know that?
Is it not obvious by looking at him?
(Jo Geun Seok, 12 years old, Note: Ardent and smart)
Mother is like the fairy
from "The Fairy and the Woodcutter" Aunt told me about.
The fairy that came down from paradise on a bucket.
So, I am happy, yet anxious at the same time.
She might go to paradise again once she finds her winged clothes.
But I am all grown up now.
As her son,
I believe I should find Mother's winged clothes.
(Episode 15: The Wedding Operation)
The Crown Prince will come in time for the bow.
I already got the message.
The kitchen court maids
will help with the guests' feast.
Please tell them the kitchen location
and anything they should be aware of.
My daughter-in-law will inform them.
Come this way.
Yes, my lady.
My lady!
Lord Park's family sent us a jar of alcohol.
Lord Myoung's family of Pil-dong sent us
two strings of twenty dried corvinas and a jar of grain syrup.
Make sure to record who sent what wedding gifts.
Do not miss any of them.
Yes, my lady.
Nobody showed up at the funeral.
But everyone is going all out as the Crown Prince is attending.
You can come in for now.
The garment is really pretty.
What is it?
Do you hate that I am getting married?
No. How can I hate that you are getting married?
Marriage is a happy occasion in the family, right?
As for me,
I am already upset as I might not be able to see you often.
I, too, am
upset as I cannot hear your fun stories
from now on.
And
I cannot catch fish with that man
at the May Festival, which is a shame.
Was catching fish
that memorable?
Yes. I will remember it for a long time.
Same here.
I will forever remember it.
What is with this?
Do not take it off.
Listen.
Live a happy life with your future wife.
You should also take the state examination
and not just focus on farming.
After all, you are smart.
You do know I am making all of your wedding blankets, yes?
Keep getting on the wrong side of me,
and I might sew up your blankets with a needle inside.
At least I did not get on the wrong side of her.
Doo Ri.
Both Ha Na and the palanquin are here. Hurry.
All right.
Lady Jung.
The ladies and madam of Mount Nam Valley have come.
Is that so?
Lord Gyeongunjae has come as well.
It was tough getting here, was it not?
The palanquin you sent us saved us the trouble.
Soon Duk. Guide the ladies to the room.
Yes, Mother.
The tables with wooden geese
are in the reception room and the garden.
You may look around first.
Once the grooms arrive,
I will go over with Erudite Maeng's wife.
Please follow me.
Let us go.
Please come inside.
Help will come soon to do your wedding hair and makeup.
Goodness.
So this is what your room looks like, Lady Yeoju.
Oh, right. It should be Lady Jung, not Lady Yeoju.
No, I am Soon Duk to you.
"Soon Duk." I like it.
May I write a novel with you
as the main character?
Of course.
Please write a good one.
Let us go.
Gosh.
Oh, how are you, Lord Gyeongunjae?
You had a lot to do.
You all came here quite early.
The ceremony is many hours away.
Multiple Capital District bachelors and spinsters will be married today.
As chief magistrate, it is only right I come early
to ensure there are no problems.
You were not interested at all a few months ago.
I guess you are interested only now that
the Crown Prince will attend.
A groom is here!
Someone is here. We must go.
Goodness.
The Minister of Defence's son
who will marry Lord Jo's daughter.
He is as handsome as rumours said.
He is the man
who flirted in broad daylight.
What?
Then
How dare you touch each other in the middle of the day?
Men and women are to remain separated!
He is Lady Doo Ri's match.
The lieutenant is here also.
Dressed like a groom, he looks even more imposing.
His sister married Lord Jo's son,
and now he will be in-laws with the Crown Prince.
He was born with incredible luck.
However, you never know until the wedding night.
The luck could run out.
Should there not be three grooms?
He will be here soon.
Go inside and wait.
Well,
I will, then.
I will take my time, enjoy myself,
and see just how well the ceremony
you prepared so hard for goes, Lord Gyeongunjae.
Let us go inside.
Go and see how far out Bachelor 16 is.
Okay.
The grooms are here.
You can put on the head ornaments.
Ye Jin has gone?
- What do you mean?
- She had a stomachache
and said she would go to the toilet.
I kept waiting, but she did not come back.
We searched the grounds and could not find her.
We looked again and found a letter on her desk.
(Dear Mother)
I apologize, Mother.
I have given my heart to another.
I cannot marry a stranger knowing I do not love him.
Mother, the Crown Prince will arrive soon.
Where is Ye Jin?
Mother.
How about we postpone Ye Jin's marriage?
How can we postpone
when the Crown Prince will be here?
His Highness is attending as a guest of Erudite Maeng's daughters.
He will understand if you say Ye Jin fell ill.
Do you think I set this all up
to marry off three spinsters?
The truth is,
Ye Jin has been in love for a while.
She will have gone to
Do you think I do not know that?
I cannot
marry Ye Jin off to that fool.
Mother.
Ye Jin made the biggest decision of her life
in order not to live a life of regret.
So please, let her have her way.
What she did
is foolish, not courageous.
Right now, she thinks love is everything,
but if you live long enough, all you are left with is regret.
I know Ye Jin well.
She cannot stand living with such a man.
But the Crown Prince will arrive soon,
and the ceremony will take place.
We cannot marry a woman who is not here.
- So
- The ceremony
can go on with a stand-in.
I just need her back in time to consummate the marriage tonight.
Lady Park.
The Crown Prince is here.
You must attend to the guests.
Go and
summon the servant.
Pardon?
Welcome, Your Highness.
I will escort you to where your future bride waits.
I am here for the wedding between the couples
that Lord Gyeongunjae brought together.
So I would like Lord Gyeongunjae to show me the way.
Come this way.
Ye Jin will be at the house of the Yoon family
that runs errands for my parents.
You must bring her back within two hours at the latest.
Yes, my lady.
Go to the palace, show this letter,
and get Royal Noble Consort Suk's ceremonial robe.
Yes, my lady.
Mother.
You will be deceiving the Minister of Defence's son.
- If he were to find out
- I will handle it.
Bring Geun Seok to the main mansion.
I had wanted to witness a noble wedding,
and more than anything, I did not want to miss
my sisters-in-law's wedding.
Your Highness.
Lord Jo's wife Lady Park and her grandson.
Lord Gyeongunjae said
your grandson is bright and has a kind heart.
Thank you for your praise.
The preparations remind me
of eight years ago,
when you married my eldest sister, Lord Gyeongunjae.
You were there at the ceremony?
I had heard my sister had not eaten all day,
so I brought her my yakgwa.
(8 years ago)
The palace will be busy on the day of the princess' wedding.
Switch this with the yakgwa that will be served to the prince.
Will it really be okay?
The golden silkworm poison inside
cannot be traced.
Even if he dies eating this, no one will know the cause.
That day, my sister really enjoyed the yakgwa.
I did not think she would die so suddenly.
So that is what happened.
Was it your doing?
Only just now did I figure out what happened eight years ago.
A great misfortune befell us both.
"A great misfortune?"
It is in the past.
The Crown Prince lived,
and the King decided to bury the truth
for Prince Jinsung's sake.
Do you truly think His Majesty covered it up
for Prince Jinsung's sake?
He did so for In Hyun who died eight years ago.
(Found the untraceable poison you asked for.)
This letter proves not just Lord Jo's corruption
but also proof of treachery to kill a prince.
My treatment of Lord Jo
was a show of my appreciation of his son's loyalty.
Lady Park did not preserve Lord Jo's household.
Their dead son did.
In Hyun knew
his family would poison the Crown Prince.
He tried to prevent it.
His Majesty acknowledged his loyalty,
and that is why he preserved Lord Jo's integrity.
Your greed
killed the princess
and also your own son.
I have decided.
What?
To do what?
I will tell Minister of Defence's son that Ye Jin ran away.
Have you lost your mind?
There will be no wedding if the groom leaves too.
No.
Things will get really bad if Lady Park were to find out.
Things are already bad.
I was the matchmaker, so I must
tell the truth and apologize.
Lady Jung!
Oh, dear
My lord, I have bad news.
What do you mean
Bachelor 16 is married?
I could not find him, so I went to his home.
He had married the daughter of Lord Choi from Gye-dong
and was celebrating.
The day before yesterday,
I married Lord Choi's eldest daughter.
Were you not in love with Lady Doo Ri?
She is good at sewing,
so I was willing to
take the plunge and marry her to support her family.
I was not pleased with her.
When I visited you five days ago,
why did you not say anything then?
Chief Magistrate Kim said we should keep things quiet.
I had no choice.
That Lord Choi is a relative of the chief magistrate's wife.
Why did Bachelor 16 dump Lady Doo Ri
to marry another woman?
I think Chief Magistrate Kim was behind it.
He told me he was promised a position in the office.
He said he had liked Lady Doo Ri for a long time.
How could a man do such a thing over a title?
Is marriage a joke to you?
Is this how shoddy you do your job?
Well, I just
Lady Doo Ri may seem gruff and stern,
but do you know how gentle she is inside?
If her groom were to not appear on their wedding day,
how distraught would she be?
She will be scarred forever!
Your bride will also not appear.
How long have you been standing there?
What are you talking about?
Well
My sister-in-law disappeared.
What about the wedding?
What happens now?
It all fell through.
Poor Lord Gyeongunjae.
I am sure he will manage.
Why worry?
The most pointless thing you can do is worry about the nobles.
So
I do not think you can marry today.
I apologize.
Lady Sam Soon will be very upset if we do not marry today.
- It is for the better.
- It is for the better.
- What?
- What?
Why
Lady Doo Ri
is meant to marry this man and not Bachelor 16.
Yes.
The truth is, I like Lady Doo Ri.
I thought I could forget about her,
but I could not, and it tormented me.
Yes! My heart is not wrong!
We just have to ask how she feels.
Yes.
Lady Doo Ri likes him back.
You knew about this already?
I realized for sure when I saw the butterfly.
Right here.
I saw the same butterfly on Lady Doo Ri's beoseon.
Why were you wearing identical butterfly beoseon
to get married to different people?
I could not refuse a spouse my family had decided on.
Now that it has fallen through,
I feel much better.
How can you be pleased it fell through?
Why do you think only of yourself?
When I think of how disappointed Lady Sam Soon will be
My heart breaks.
He should have said from the start that he did not want to marry.
What are we to do now?
If he were honest, he would not be a noble.
They live for their reputations.
Calm down, everyone.
Let me summarize.
One groom did not show up, and one bride ran away.
But the leftover bride and groom
were dating in secret.
(Maeng Doo Ri, Han Jong Bok, Jo Ye Jin, Jung Si Yeol)
(Maeng Doo Ri, Jung Si Yeol)
There will be no wedding today.
There will be
a wedding today.
How can we go on as planned with a bride missing?
- I refuse.
- Wait.
Instead of your sister-in-law, will you marry him
with Lady Doo Ri to form just two couples?
Oh, right.
No.
Today, we will marry off three couples.
We have just two couples.
The third couple
is my sister-in-law and Bachelor 24.
Bachelor 24
I have
someone else in mind.
I cannot marry Erudite Maeng's second daughter.
I apologize.
Oh, the bachelor who backed out during the May Festival.
Yes.
What are you doing here?
Why did you say you would not marry?
Is today not your wedding day?
Answer my question.
Why did you say you would not marry?
Because I cannot marry
anyone other than you.
Good.
I also could not
marry anyone but you.
So
I am yours now.
Let us come up with a plan to marry all three couples.
You two, join us.
Okay.
Everyone, come closer.
He will not be able to persuade her to come back,
so you should go and bring her back
with that scholar.
She ran away on the day of her wedding, so she will not come back.
I told her to let Ye Jin know
that I would be sure to help her marry the one she wants to be with,
so she will return.
Even so, she will not make it for the ceremony.
We should inform the Crown Prince of the situation
and just marry off the 2nd and 3rd daughters.
No, we cannot do that.
My mother-in-law will never
give up on marrying her off to the Minister of Defence's son.
So if she hears that Lady Doo Ri
and Young Master Si Yeol are getting married,
she will use the wedding customs to stop them.
If that happens, Ye Jin cannot marry the man she wants to be with.
Right.
Hence, we must deceive her and make her believe
that the three couples are all getting married today
and put them in their matrimonial rooms to seal the deal.
That is the only way both Ye Jin and Si Yeol can marry
the ones they truly wish to be with.
I get what you are saying,
but how could the wedding take place without the bride and groom?
We will hire stand-ins for the ceremony
and put the real couples in the matrimonial rooms.
But who would agree to be a stand-in?
What? Why are you looking at me?
We need you as a stand-in,
so go and get the groom's costume.
From the ceremony to the moment you enter your matrimonial room,
you must follow my instructions to a tee.
Young Master Si Yeol, do not be confused.
You have to go to the first table.
Do not worry.
More importantly, do not go to the wrong matrimonial room.
You will see a yellow handkerchief tied to the doorknob.
Do not go into the wrong room.
Well understood.
You must also remember this.
You should never reveal your faces.
Especially in front of the chief magistrate and Lady Park.
Right.
Do you think everything will go according to our plan?
Yes, unless there is a random variable.
We should elope.
What?
My family will send someone to catch me,
so I must find a place to hide.
- Come along.
- Wait.
Come on.
Then what if we encounter an unexpected variable?
If it has something to do with the grooms, you will handle it.
If it concerns the brides,
I will take care of it as the matchmaking master.
Do not worry.
Everything will go well.
The wedding is one thing, but I am worried about you.
Pardon me?
If Lady Park finds out that she failed to marry Ye Jin off
to the Defence Minister's family because of us,
she will not let it slide.
Of course, my mother-in-law
will be angry.
But this way,
Ye Jin can marry the man she truly loves.
That is enough for me.
When this wedding is over,
let us run far away together.
Sure.
Once we wrap up this wedding successfully,
I will follow your wishes.
On this joyful day,
we are gathered here to celebrate
the joint wedding of the three couples.
This wedding is truly meaningful
for Lord Gyeongunjae found matches
for Erudite Maeng Sang Chun's daughters
who were way past the marriageable age
as per His Majesty's order.
And in that process, a number of old bachelors
also found their spouses.
(Bachelor 12's Wedding)
(Bachelor 23's Wedding)
The royal court will learn from this experience
and continue to pay attention to the issue
of marrying off the old bachelors and spinsters in the country.
Also, all the food and drinks here today are gifts
from His Majesty who wishes to congratulate the brides and grooms,
so please enjoy them and congratulate the brides and grooms.
We will now begin the ceremony.
The brides and grooms may come out!
- What is going on?
- What is taking them so long?
- How much longer must we wait?
- My goodness.
Gosh, why were we told to come here so early?
Right? I wonder too.
Where are they?
What is taking the brides and grooms so long?
I do not know.
Lord Gyeongunjae, who organized this wedding,
is also nowhere to be seen.
Such insolence!
You are keeping His Highness waiting!
Chief Magistrate.
I am okay, so lower your voice.
This event is not about me.
We are here to congratulate the brides and grooms.
I was simply concerned. That is all.
Oh, here come the grooms.
My gosh. This cannot be.
Chief Magistrate.
Do not make such a fuss. Please be seated.
I apologize, Your Highness.
One, two,
three?
I swear, I married off one of them.
How come there are three grooms here?
Gosh.
Is she getting completely dolled up? Why is she not here yet?
The grooms have gone out, so we should follow them out too.
I wonder if something happened.
It is nothing hard.
Just keep your head down.
I am so scared.
Is she still not ready?
Sam Wol is very nervous.
Stop crying at once.
What is the matter with you?
Soon Duk.
You should do it.
Pardon me?
I can move in this since it is my second time wearing this.
The first time I wore this, I could not even walk.
Geun Seok.
Let me explain.
Mother.
You look like a fairy.
You look so beautiful.
What?
"Fairy?"
Aunt once told me
that you were like a fairy that finds soulmates.
I thought she was asleep and could not hear me.
Turns out, she heard everything.
Are you heading out to connect soulmates?
Yes, I am.
I disguised myself as a bride to find Auntie Ye Jin's soulmate.
Then you should
find the man who caught fish with me on the day of the May Festival.
What?
Aunt likes him very much.
She did not even meet Young Master Si Yeol at the May Festival.
You must be Lady Matchmaker's son she spoke so proudly about.
Who might you be?
I am Lady Matchmaker's friend.
You and my mother are friends?
No way.
Young Master, I see that you have a heart of gold.
I like you.
The brides are late.
The brides have a lot to prepare.
And they can barely walk in their wedding dresses.
That is right.
- Oh, my.
- How beautiful.
- My gosh.
- How pretty.
- My goodness.
- They look stunning.
The brides will now bow twice.
What are you doing here?
What about you?
Why are you here?
Well, I have run into an unexpected variable.
My lord.
I do not think I can do this.
Take it off. I will do it.
So have I.
The grooms will now bow to their brides.
I truly hope we do not encounter another variable.
My gosh.
Gosh! My goodness.
Oh, dear.
What? Where is Lady Ye Jin? Why are you sitting here alone?
She must have run away.
I will get kicked out.
My gosh. This is crazy!
Lady Jung said to bring her and the scholar no matter what.
My goodness.
We must drink on this happy day.
- Yes, absolutely.
- Oh, my.
Hey, hurry up and pour me one.
I married my niece-in-law off to one of the grooms.
How on earth did this wedding happen?
I do not understand.
Maybe someone filled in for the groom.
Did you not have a wedding?
You cannot fill in for
I swear, I married off one of them.
One, two, three?
How come there are three grooms here?
One, two,
three?
He was very tall. Could it be
Yes.
It must have been easy
for Lord Gyeongunjae to find the groom's costume.
I bet that was why he was nowhere to be seen during the ceremony.
To make sure the wedding would not fall through,
he and Lady Park must have conspired together.
Now, it all makes sense.
Gosh, I am so angry.
How about we expose the truth now?
What is the point? It is already all over.
No.
If the late princess' husband is in one of the matrimonial rooms,
we can prove that he deceived the royal court.
It is much better than ruining
the spinsters' wedding.
Did Young Master Si Yeol find his room?
Yes.
Now, we just need Ye Jin and Bachelor 24
to arrive before people are done peeking into the rooms.
- Will they arrive before that?
- They must.
Even just one more variable will get us in trouble.
People are now guarding the room.
Keep your head down.
Young Master Si Yeol
will do a good job, right?
What are they doing?
Why are they just talking?
- Turn around and look this way.
- Yes, please.
I hear the Defence Minister's son is handsome. I want to see his face.
The Defence Minister's son
is in that room over there.
Really?
I apologize for suspecting you.
Why am I crying? How embarrassing.
Why are you here?
I will explain later.
Let me take off your head ornaments first.
How do I do this?
Like this. I see.
First, explain what is going on.
Time is of the essence, so do not say anything.
Listen carefully to what your husband is about to tell you.
What? "Husband?"
Lady Doo Ri.
Stare at the door.
The door?
What matters the most is how you behave in the matrimonial room.
When people come and poke a peep hole on the door,
stare at the hole with Lady Doo Ri.
Why should he do that?
They will confirm that you and Lady Doo Ri are now married.
Oh, my. The couple in this room is very romantic.
Did he just kiss her on the cheek?
Why is the Defence Minister's son with Lady Doo Ri now?
I wonder too.
I thought he was marrying the Left State Councillor’s daughter.
No.
They said from the get-go that he would marry Lady Doo Ri.
My master was the one who found matches for the spinsters.
My goodness. How could you be confused about something like that?
You should not be so absentminded at your age.
No.
Then whom did Lord Jo's daughter marry?
Move aside.
How much longer do we have to stare at the door?
Oh, I think we can stop staring at the door now.
Let us hurry and get down to business.
What? Wait.
First, I must hear what happened.
The thing is My lady.
Stop what you are doing for a moment.
We just need to check the groom's face.
This is why I said we should hurry and just do it.
What will you do now?
Do you think we will have another opportunity like this?
Who is this stupid jerk that flung open the door?
I will fold you in half and stitch you up with a giant needle,
then threw you into the ocean!
I think my ears are bleeding.
What is taking her so long?
My lady.
We have a problem.
The chief magistrate is checking every room
to confirm the identities of the brides and grooms.
Will you drink all night?
Well, this is
I am nervous.
I have something to show you.
What are you doing?
The groom is supposed to undress his bride.
Oh, right.
I wrote dozens of scenes where the groom
undresses his bride on their wedding night.
I was just so eager to show you.
It is too late.
Then we should
blow out the candle.
No!
Do not blow out the candle.
You need to see this.
You are wearing
the Lady's battle dress portrayed in "The Lady's Private Life."
You said this dress did not exist in real life.
Now, do you believe me?
I am checking each groom's face.
I will open the door for a moment.
Sorry about that.
Everyone who was peeping into the room went to see Lady Doo Ri,
so we should get changed now.
Okay, good idea.
The groom is supposed to do this,
so it is hard to do by yourself.
I know that.
Right, you have done this before.
But you never had a proper wedding night. Am I wrong?
The court ladies taught me everything for three days.
Do not forget that you promised
to follow my wishes once this wedding was over.
Okay, I will not forget.
But you will have to wait a little.
About 5 to 7 years.
I must marry Geun Seok off.
I cannot do that.
You said you truly loved me,
yet you cannot even wait?
I do not want
to leave you in this house even for another day.
Why must you get into my daughter's matrimonial room?
I must check something.
The chief magistrate must have caught on.
Hurry up and get out of here.
If we are caught here now, we are both doomed.
(The Matchmakers)
You fell for another man
and ruined the future of the family. Is that your way?
He lay with her by force? My son-in-law?
If you say you fell for Lady Park's trap
Tonight,
Lord Gyeongunjae will be executed with poison.
Lord Gyeongunjae is already dead.
I am telling you so that it is easier for you
to decide.
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